What To Do & Where To Eat in Kansas City

It’s funny, a lot of my friends here in DC said that my post and Instagrams from my last trip to Kansas City actually made them want to go there. Or at least I made it seem like a cool place to visit. I was like, ya because it is! I told them, if I took you to Kansas City for a weekend, you’d think you in any other cool city, but you probably wouldn’t spend near as much money…

Gotta love the affordable Midwest! That is definitely something I miss about living there — the cost of living! Let’s just say that my rent on a 1-bedroom apartment in DC is almost triple what my mortgage was for a 3-bedroom house in Kansas City. So yeah, it’s affordable. But that’s not for lack of culture or things to do. So if you decide to pick up and take a weekend trip to Kansas City, here are a few things I think you should consider doing during your stay.

It all depends on the type of things you like to do of course. But these are things that are really fun and are a part of the fabric of Kansas City.

ROYALS GAME — I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a baseball game every now and then. Especially when the team is good (ahem, the Royals are the World Series Champs!).

CHIEFS GAME — Now the Chiefs haven’t been very good the past few years, but that doesn’t stop the fans from cheering them on in one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. Good times are had Chiefs games, and they all start with tailgating. This is a must. You must get to the game at least two hours early (we would always get there three hours early) and start eating and drinking. Tailgating at Arrowhead is truly the definition of tailgating, so get together with some native Kansas Citians and let them show you how it’s done. The games are always fun as well! I don’t recommend going when it’s freezing cold though…

SPORTING KC — And if soccer is your sport, yep, Kansas City has that too! Catch a Sporting KC match!

NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM & MEMORIAL — Kansas City is home to the best World War I Museum. If you don’t have time to go through the actual museum, it is a great place to see a view of downtown Kansas City and take photos. If you do have time, I recommend going up to the observation deck in the memorial tower — the view from there is incredible!

BEER TOUR — With a plethora of breweries and distilleries in Kansas City like I mentioned in this post, you could spend an entire weekend exploring them all. Obviously we don’t want you to drive around after drinking, so you can take one of the tours! The KC Beer Tour or the Barley Bus — or just hire your own driver! Kansas City does have Uber, so no worries!

GANGSTER TOUR — The mob is a huge part of Kansas City’s history. I learned from touring Tom’s Town that Kansas City didn’t really partake in prohibition. So if you’re into the gangster history, the gangster tour is for you!

You Say Tomato — I used to frequent this tiny spot when I worked at Hallmark Cards. Like their name suggests, they have amazing tomatoes, and I still crave their BLT and hummus.

The Pizza Shoppe — I’d get in trouble if I didn’t mention the gourmet pizza franchise my family owns. Plus I think it’s the best pizza on earth. I recommend going to the one at 7687 NW Prairie View Road.

Andy’s Frozen Custard — For dessert, I highly recommend this custard spot. It actually started in Springfield, Missouri, and is slowly expanding. I’m beyond excited that there is a location in Kansas City because it’s hands down consistently the best custard I’ve ever had in my life.

All images by Meg Biram. Image one is inside Coveted Home. Image two is a sculpture at the Nelson-Atkins. Image three is outside the Nelson-Atkins. Image four is inside the new Halls. Image five is at Gram & Dun.

9

Great roundup! As a person who moved to KC a couple of months ago, I’ve already been to about half the places you listed and am excited to try out others! It really is a cool little city with tons to do. One of my favorite spots so far has been Westport Cafe for brunch and happy hour cocktails. I actually just wrote a post about it!: http://www.modcircus.com/2016/08/westport-cafe-and-bar.html

Great post promoting the amazing things we have in KC. Often times people over look us because it’s the Midwest but we have so many things to see, do, and experience that is nice when someone gives us credit. a few places i think would be good for a part 2 would be the Roasterie for tours and a cup of local joe and Christopher Elbow’s chocolate shop or Glace for his artisnal chocolates (his Venezuelan Spice Turtles are divine) and ice cream.